It's Simply Lindsay

09/17/15

The Comparison Game: Where’s the Line?

How do we know where we stand in the world?

Well that’s a lofty question, how about we start with food. How do you gauge a meal at a restaurant? You compare it to the most delicious dishes you have had, think about the worst ones, and decide where it falls.

Comparing is natural, comparing is normal, and comparing is even necessary to understand your placements in life.

Did you know that things you learn in school actually come back to prove their relevance? Oh, learning is a beautiful thing. In a communications course I took in college, I learned about social comparison theory; this theory states that we compare ourselves to others in order to know how we’re doing if there is no objective means of evaluation. We do this by comparing upwards and downwards of where we stand, which has positive implications and negative effects.

09/14/15

9 Pregnancy Tips

Oh, pregnancy, how I loved you. You turned me into a girl who vowed to never be pregnant and only have children through a surrogate (thanks, sis for volunteering at the time) into a momma who is ready for round two! You may know that I didn’t have the easiest pregnancy, but it was the most incredible, beautiful stage of my life. I’ve never felt more special or important as I grew my little poppy seed into garbanzo bean, clementine, mango, and eventually watermelon (is anyone else hungry now?).

I’m 7.5 months post-partum and no, I am not living in a blissful after period with blinders on. Trust me, I still remember the daily and nightly agonies I endured, and even with that, my statement stands.

Trying to come up with only 9 tips for 9 months proved very difficult, but I did my best to come up with 9 of the top tips I have for your pregnancy. More posts to come on this topic though, don’t you worry! I’ve included some of my favorite pregnancy moments, and if you have any questions you would like me to address in the future, leave a comment below.

09/13/15

Prints-Themed Fashion Week

This week’s fashion theme was prints and patterns. See previous weeks’ themes here and here. I tend to wear solids, so it was fun to rummage through my closet and find items I had forgotten about or haven’t worn in quite some time. That’s the beauty of these themes – they push me to actually choose the items I otherwise would pass over.

Do you have clothes like that in your closet? Perfectly good, quality, cute clothes that you never want to wear, but then you wear them and love them? Yup, me too. Glad we’re on the same page.

This week’s picks were a mix between old and new pieces with my standard gold accessories. Though I have about 10 black and white striped shirts, I opted for a brighter striped printed dress for day one with a statement necklace to add some vertical interest. Day two, I was really feeling fall, so I dressed up a plaid blouse with a camel blazer with a striped cuff detail – while this wasn’t a very daring mix of prints, I plan on playing more around with mixing patterns this year. Any tips are welcomed!

09/12/15

Simply The Best Healthy Tuna Salad

Now that I’m back to work part-time after a wonderful summer home with my daughter, it’s nice having a daily routine and schedule to follow. My work schedule helps drive my effort to eat healthy and pay attention to portions instead of mindless snacking here and there or having “just one bowl” of cereal, that when you measure it out, is really three servings.

I’m all about easy, healthy food that tastes delicious. I like lunches that I can prepare in 5 minutes or can make the night before. I enjoy looking for ways to bulk up my meals with vegetables so I feel fuller longer. I pride myself on using healthy substitutes in my meals that truly do not compromise the delicious flavor.

Put all of these things together and you have Simply the Best Healthy Tuna. This tuna recipe can be made ahead of time or within minutes before you run out the door; it’s a great lunch or snack that I really look forward to eating. When my stomach is grumbling at the end of my first class and then I remember I packed this tuna, I do a secret happy dance inside, and you will, too!

09/9/15

Q & A With Lindsay

I am so excited to announce, that It’s Simply Lindsay was nominated for the Sisterhood of the World Blogging Award – thanks to Alexis from A Blissful Haven for including me in this for a fun Q & A with me. You can also check out my 10 blogging nominees below of bloggers I love (and think you will, too!).

Blogger Rules:

• Thank the blogger who nominated you and link back to their site.
• Put the award logo on your blog
• Answer the 10 questions the blogger has sent you.
• Nominate 10 bloggers and notify them

Readers, if you have any questions you’d like me to answer or topics you want me to cover, let me know!

09/8/15

Masculine Deets, Feminine Chic

In a society that is all about the going green and the recycling craze, what is trendier than fashion? Every season we look towards ‘what’s new,’ although trends really just echo their past. Silhouettes and accessories today reflect styles from history: high collars and ruffles of the 19th century, sharp tailoring of the 30’s and 40’s, feminine flounce of the 50’s, and iconic Ray Ban’s made popular in the 80’s.

One of my favorite trends that resurfaced in 2010 is menswear for women. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not all about the completely androgynous look because we are women after all, and really, only supermodels can pull off the boxy look or blousy trousers that make the rest of us look like shapeless clowns dressing up in our dad’s clothes. I mean honestly, who needs extra volume on their hips and thighs?